72 hours
by LNicol1990
Summary: Spoiler for New moon. The events surrounding Italy, from Edward's point of view, from Roslie's bad choice, to coming home.
1. Bad News

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, any of the characters or any of the locations. All quotes come from the first two books. This story contains spoilers. This is Edward's point of view of those fateful two/three days near the end of New Moon, from Rosalie's bad decision to coming back from Italy._

Bad News

It was quiet. It's always quiet, no matter where you are, where you've been or where you go. It's always quiet at night.

I was sitting on a low wall, ignoring what little sounds of nightlife there were. How odd that a place such as Rio was so quiet at night, but then again, I wasn't listening.

The only things I could hear were voices from some far off memories. A happy memory here, a sad memory there, there was always something. And every memory that I saw and listened to, they all contained one element, one force. They all had her.

"Which one is the boy with the reddish brown hair?" She had asked, unaware that I was able to hear her.

Her face, surprised, afraid, was staring at the oncoming van. It was about to crush her. I had to do something!

"Get in!" I had yelled. She jumped in without hesitation. I was so angry. I wanted to go back, and kill them, the men who had been planning on hurting her. But she needed me.

"How old are you?" "Seventeen." "How long have you been seventeen?" "A while."

Not all of them were bad memories. The way she smiled, the way she blushed, the warmth of her against my cold skin, those deep brown eyes, that tantalising scent of her sweet blood, and most importantly, that unwavering trust in me. Me.

I didn't deserve any of it. I didn't deserve anything from her. But this pain… now this was mine by right. I was a monster, and I had put her in danger far too many times.

A familiar voice pricked at my senses. Not that it was really a voice, but thoughts. I had been so distracted lately; I hadn't focused enough to single anything out. So from hearing everything, I heard nothing.

But I had made up my mind only a short time ago. I would go back. I would see her, speak to her, maybe. I would apologise and hope –no beg- for her to forgive me. I would beg her to forgive the lie, which had cut my world up, torn it apart, and left me clawing in the air, trying desperately to catch the falling shards.

"You… don't…want me?" "No."

How could I have said that?! How could I could I have said that lie?! And worse still, how could she have believed that? How could she have doubted that my love for her was anything but absolute?

But I had done it to protect her, to let her live a normal life. I wanted her to live without vampires, with normal people, and have a normal boyfriend, who would love her in a normal way.

But I knew that I was going back. Maybe, just maybe, she had moved on. She would look at me and scrunch up her nose, curl back her lip in disgust. Yes, she would hate me. She would tell me to leave, and I would do that.

Or maybe she would let me stay. I could be her pet vampire and I wouldn't care. As long as I was with her.

He's too far gone. He hasn't even noticed me. I wonder if he'll even hear me when I speak. But I have to tell him, he deserves to know.

I knew that voice. It was Rosalie.

I slowly turned my head to stare up at her. Jeez, with that expression on her face, I must have looked like hell. Good. I felt like it too.

It took me a split second to realise that she was waiting for me to speak, to recognise that she was there. She had no intention of speaking unless she was sure that I was listening.

"Hi Rosalie," I whispered, unable to call upon any more energy than that.

She knelt down, and my head returned to its original position, staring blankly into some unknown area.

"Edward…" I shouldn't tell him. Not like this, not when he's like this. "Edward, there's something I need to tell you." Will he believe me? I highly doubt that. But I know its true, what Alice saw…

"What did Alice see?" I asked flatly. I had no interest in games.

Bella.

That name! I had tried to forget that name! It felt like a car had just driven into me. Everything that I had tried so had to keep away, all the emotions that I felt, came crashing into the forefront of my mind.

My head snapped to face Rosalie. Though my heart was still, I could swear that it was quivering.

"What about her?" I asked, urgently this time. I could hear it in my voice.

"She saw Bella die. She saw a cliff, and Bella jumps. The end." Wow, even from me, that was harsh!

I couldn't breathe. I could feel myself shaking. I was trying to register what Rosalie had just said. I was trying, but I couldn't do it. It didn't fit.

I tried weakly to scan Rosalie's mind, looking for any hint of doubt or deceit. But there was no such comfort. There was just a sad, unquestioning knowledge.

"Where's Alice?"

"She's gone back to Forks. She's trying to stop Bella from…" she trailed off, but I heard the rest of the sentence in her head, along with one other important detail.

"You don't think she'll get there in time?"

"Alice was in Denali when she saw. She took the next available flight. Edward, she won't make it in time. It's too far, even for us."

By that time I had stopped listening. I put my hands to my ears, but that did nothing to stop her thoughts from penetrating, piercing through what was left of my tattered heart.

I turned away from her, and I ran. I had to get away from her. I had to get away from the certainties, from her certainties. I had to know. I had to know from someone else.

I stopped just off a corner, my mind made up. I pulled out my phone, and pressed a speed-dial number. How strange that in four months, I still hadn't removed her house number from my phone.

I cleared my throat and held the phone close.

"Swan residence." This wasn't Charlie, nor was it her.

"This is Dr Cullen. May I speak to Charlie Swan, please?" I asked, my voice impersonating Carlisle's.

"He's not here." Was that voice menacing, or was it just my imagination?

"Where is he then?" I tried to stay cool and focused. Carlisle wouldn't have been moved, but he wasn't dreading the next line.

"He's at the funeral."

I hung up. My arm fell limp and I heard something hit the ground, probably my phone. Not that a phone really mattered. I absentmindedly felt my knees make contact with something hard, probably the ground.

Not that any of that mattered.

The funeral… her funeral… Bella's funeral. I winced at the thought of her name, and again at the completed idea.

This wasn't meant to happen. She was supposed to forget me and move on. Or, if she did remember me, it was meant to be some bitter thought that left a sour taste in her mouth. Never did I imagine this…

Even if she had moved on, and forgotten me, and grown old with someone, I still would have waited. I would have known the moment she died, and I would be moments behind her. And that would still be the case.

I stood up. I started running in the direction of the airport. I wouldn't bother booking a ticket, why would I need one? The cold didn't bother me, and I didn't really need to breathe. Stowing aboard in the luggage compartment was good enough, and I had the ability to get in and out before anyone noticed me.

I heard someone call me, I had left something? But I didn't care. There was nothing in this world that I cared about, not anymore. Besides I had no time to lose, and I was eager to meet death.


	2. The meeting

The Meeting

Volterra was a city on the peak of a hill, behind crowning towers and ancient, sienna walls. Ever since I had first caught sight of it more than ten miles ago, I had a strange mixture of feelings inside me. Naturally, what little sense of self-preservation I had left was afraid, knowing that this was the end for me. But, a much, much larger part of me felt nothing but relief, relief that my life was almost at an end, relief that I would finally see Bella again.

Bella… just thinking her name… It no longer caused me the pain that it had merely a few days ago. It probably didn't matter now, since I was soon going to be joining her.

But that's where my plan always snagged. I had no doubt of going through with my intentions; I was going to ask the Volturi to die, to kill me. But… it was the part after dying that had me a little concerned.

Was Carlisle right? Did we still have souls, despite being the monsters that we were? And if he was right, what assurances did I have that I would be permitted to see Bella once I was dead?

I shook my head. Think about it later. I had pondered throughout the entire flight how best to ask the Volturi for this, and what to do if they said no. I favoured quite a few different approaches to that alternative: a killing spree, that would have made their task just a little harder; attacking the guard, as fun and as effective as that sounded, they'd probably just kick me out the city; lifting a car above my head, probably cause enough of an uproar, but it wasn't the last impression that I wanted to leave… none of them were. They made me look like some deranged psychopath, not a… person who couldn't… exist in this world anymore, it hurt too much.

Right now, I was sitting on a couch, leather probably, and I was staring blankly. I didn't even know if I was staring at someone or not, but again it didn't really matter.

I was concentrating very hard on what I was going to say, but I couldn't seem to form anything in a coherent pattern, even in my own head. I knew what I wanted to ask, but whether or not I asked that was another matter. As much as I tried to sort out my words, thoughts of Bella just came tumbling in, jumbling up what I had been planning to say.

"Edward," a female voice called for my attention curtly.

I jerked my head up and then rose. For some strange reason, at this dark time for me, I knew that I was as graceful as I ever had been, and this annoyed me. I wanted to stagger in, to make some kind of entrance that would make them feel pity for me. Pity would help sway their decision. But, instead I walked into the great hall with the grace and stillness that any self-respecting vampire had.

I instantly heard everyone's attention turn to me. They knew that there was something disturbing about this newcomer in their midst. They were all wondering about whether I wanted to join the Volturi, or to report something. None of them were expecting my request.

My attention turned to the three vampires in the middle of the room, all looked very old looking. I knew from scanning Carlisle's mind, for the past ninety years, who was who.

The one in the centre was Aro, effectively the leader of the Volturi. His skin, unlike mine, looked delicate, and he had long black hair which framed his face. He was already standing.

I already knew what he wanted. I knew his gift, and I was uneasy to extend my hand out to greet him. As much as I wanted his help, I wasn't sure if I wanted him to know the reasons behind my decision.

"Greetings Edward," Aro sounded ecstatic at my appearance, but I could hear that he was just trying to put me at ease. He had existed for a thousand years or more, so he knew all the tricks in the book. Heck, he was probably the one who'd written it.

"Hello, you must be Aro. I've learnt a lot about you from Carlisle," I was trying very hard to maintain an even voice, but there was no doubt that some in the room could hear my tension.

"How is Carlisle?"

"Very well, last time I checked in."

I didn't see the point of talking about my family, apart from the fact that it was a normal part of a conversation. Things had to be done in a certain way; small talk had to have had used to perfection and then business would commence.

"Oh, that's good to hear." _Obviously not one for small talk._

I had to get this right; otherwise, I would have a hard time convincing him.

"And yourselves?" I asked politely, already weary and wanting to get to the point.

"As well as can be, tourist season is picking up."

I didn't need to be able to read minds to know what that meant.

"So, what brings you to our fine city?" Aro's brightness was beginning to grate on me.

"I've… come to ask for a request, one that I never realised existed," I mumbled the last part to myself, although they all hear it.

"And what would that be?" _Does he wish to join us? That would be… most interesting…_

"I came to ask if you would…" I trailed off, and I realised that I couldn't say this to his face. I couldn't say this to anybody, as much as I wanted to.

I lowered my eyes and thought for a mere fraction of a second. Was this what I wanted to do? And even before that thought finished skipping through my head, Bella's face, her smiling, happy face and her distraught, heart-broken face, flashed vividly before my eyes. I closed my eyes in the hope of losing the images, but they only got worse.

"Kill me," I whispered, finishing my sentence, my request.

Everyone around us could not hold in their surprise and horror. None of them had thought of that request, and none of them could understand why I would want to ask.

But, as much as they should've been, their reactions were meaningless to me. Bella's face, her movements, every little aspect entered my mind with excruciating detail. I would not forget this; I would not forget why I was there.

"Would you care to explain?" Aro's voice was suddenly a lot closer than I remembered it had been.

I opened my eyes and found myself staring into a pair of crimson irises. Confusion and curiosity suddenly turned to concern. As I saw through those uncomfortably close eyes, I saw myself and was surprised to see how pain-stricken my face was.

Aro extended his hand out, and, with no more strength left to fight, I offered him my own.

Although I knew what he would be seeing, I followed his mind as he raced through mine. The memories of my ninety years with Carlisle and the rest of the family passed by quickly enough, but then he found her.

I had once told Bella, jokingly, that kryptonite had no effect on me. How strange that I was using that same word to describe her, right now.

The first moment I had seen her in the canteen, that first biology lesson, the unexpected, near-uncontrollable desire for her blood, the way she smiled, the way she said my name, _everything_ was being examined and scrutinised. The absoluteness of her trust in me, the peacefulness of her face whilst she slept, the tiny smile that would creep onto her face when she had a good dream… the way she would unconsciously breathe in and puff up her chest when I annoyed her, her impossible fierceness that was more suited to a kitten, the warmth of her body under my cold skin, the electricity that buzzed between us…

Then, the memories turned for the worst. The confrontation with James in the field, Bella's disappearance in the airport, the sight of him above her in the ballet studio, him suddenly launching to bite and kill her, Bella screaming out in pain as his venom flew down her veins… me, with my mouth around the wound, sucking out the poison… and tasting her blood, sweeter than I would have thought possible. The incident on her birthday, when Jasper almost attacked her after a tiny paper cut had left her bleeding… and her despairing face as I told her the blackest blasphemy, that lie that broke both our hearts… the doubtless belief in what I had just said in her tear-filled eyes.

And then, the reason as to why I was here came into centre stage. I was sitting on a wall in Rio, and Rosalie was telling me the horrible truth. My Bella… dead, jumped off a cliff. What was left of my world had shattered. She had committed suicide, and now, I wanted to join her.

Aro released my hand and took several steps back. He was shocked; all pretences of over-cheerfulness had evaporated from him quiet perfectly. I felt a small amount of pride of being able to accomplish such a feat, though it did nothing to raise me from my despair.

"This is something we will have to discuss, Edward," Aro stated gravely.

I nodded slowly, unable to make my voice work and my jaw felt stiff. I let my eyes stare dimly at the floor all the time. I was vaguely aware of Aro, Marcus and Caius discussing. The specifics escaped me, but the basic concepts were easy enough to pick up. They didn't want to kill me and they wanted to give me something else to live for: them.

I felt my back stiffen as I realised what they were hoping for. How could they possibly think that?! What could they possibly offer me that would make me even consider?

Aro walked towards me, his expression was guarded. Obviously there was a change in me, and –looking through his eyes– I could see that my face had turned angry, murderous even.

"We have decided not to end your life, Edward. It would be _wasteful_ to end someone of your _potential_," Aro stressed those words, although he knew that I was fully aware of what he was planning to ask, even before he'd first spoken.

I couldn't breathe, I wouldn't let myself breathe. My whole body was trembling, and my hands were shaking. I could lose it right now; it would be over quite quickly. But a quick end to my attempt to wrench Aro's head off didn't mean a quick death.

"We could do with someone with your talents. The Volturi would welcome you with open arms."

As if to prove his point, he spread his arms out wide, as if inviting me into an embrace. He had a soft, disarming smile on his face. A pity that it didn't work on me.

At that moment, I stopped shaking. I stared at him, my expression –in his eyes– though still murderous, was still, calm. If my heart was still beating, it would have returned to its normal rate.

I didn't say anything. I didn't have to.

I turned around, and with a ramrod straight back, I walked out.


End file.
